Final Fantasy VI Dawn of Power
by The Midnight Cobra
Summary: One year after Kefka's defeat, a mysterious crystal is discovered in an underground cavern. After it is activated, people begin to notice that magic seems to be returning to the planet. Unfortunately, something not-too-friendly is coming back with it...
1. Chapter 1: Revival

Final Fantasy VI - Dawn of Power

Chapter 1: Revival

The night was absolutely still at the town of Thamasa. No wind. No Sound. No movement. It was giving 12 year old Relm Arrowny the chills… of course, she wasn't going to show it.

Relm was busy looking out into the distance, painting a beautiful night's landscape showed the most wondrous view of the mountains and stars, humming to herself just to hear something. It still didn't calm her down, though. Especially when she heard a rustle in the bushes behind her. Her head darted around to see where the noise came from, but she saw nothing save for a few moving shrubs. She moved over to inspect the bushes.

"Relm!"

Relm shrieked only to turn around and see her grandfather, Strago Magus standing behind her.

"Young lady, are you going to stand there screaming or are you going to come help me set the table for dinner?"

"Alright, Grandpa…" she said.

Strago went back into the house.

"Fuddy-Duddy" she continued.

As Relm set the table she felt a sense of boundless uneasiness.

"Relm, why do you look so nervous?"

The girl looked at her grandfather and said, "I can't help but feel like we're being watched."

"Relm," said Strago "Stop being so ridiculous!" He turned around to retrieve the meal from the oven. When he had his back turned he got flipped off by his angry granddaughter.

Two taps at the window. Relm spun around and saw a shadowy figure ducking out of view. "What was that?!" she shrieked.

"Relm, stop acting so paranoid and help me with this!"

"Grandpa, there's someone outside our house!"

"Young lady, I've had it with your lies! I don't want to have to ground you a-"

Loud thumps came from above their heads

"What the devil is that racket!?" said Strago.

"I told you!" yelled Relm.

"Relm, I'm sure there's a logical explanation for this!" Nevertheless, he grabbed a kitchen knife off of the knife rack and held it at the ready.

Relm moved to grab one herself when the door swung open. Relm screamed and literally leaped behind their couch. Strago moved to attack when he realized that the person who had been stalking around their house was the ever cheerful practical joker, Locke Cole, who currently was laughing his lungs out on their front step.

"Hahahahahaha! Oh man you guys were so freaked out! Hahahaha!"

Strago put the knife down and glared at Locke, which caused him to laugh harder. "Get a grip, man!"

Relm stormed out from behind the couch. "That wasn't funny, Jerk!"

Locke just kept laughing. "Hahaha! And Relm! You're eyes were as big as dinner plates! You FLEW across the room! Hahahahaha!"

Relm started shaking with rage. "You son of a-"

"Relm!" Said Strago. "You never call anybody that!"

"-bitch" she whispered under her breath. She growled.

"Well now, if everyone's done disturbing the peace, we have a request for Mr. Strago." Said a feminine voice from seemingly nowhere. Everyone but Locke stopped what they were doing and watched as the lovely form of Celes Chere materialized from out of the shadows. She looked down at her fiancé. "Locke, stop it."

"Eheheh, sorry, sweetie."

"Ah, Celes!" said Strago, suddenly a gentleman again. "It's wonderful to see you again! Come in, please! Relm and I were just about to sit down to dinner. Why don't you join us?"

Locke jumped to his feet. "Gee thanks! I'm starving!"

Relm got in front of him and pushed him back outside. "Not you, Assho-"

"Relm! When did you get so foul mouthed?!" Strago looked at Locke. "You can come in if you stop the idiotic shenanigans."

"Hmph!"

Although Relm and her grandfather usually had dinner in complete silence, tonight the dining room was full of sound.

"So, Locke" said Strago, "What brings you to Thamasa?"

Locke grinned. "You could say I'm in town on 'business' I'm teaching my fiancée the art of treasure hunting"

Celes leaned over to Relm and whispered in her ear, "Thievery!" They both giggled.

Locke scowled at them.

"Celes, you said you had a request for me?" said Strago.

"Yes, we're going to be quote unquote 'treasure hunting' in a cave to the south of town tomorrow. Locke and I were wondering if we could spend the night here. There's no vacancy at the inn."

"Certainly, Celes. There's a guest room upstairs. You'll have to sleep in separate beds, though."

"I wouldn't have it any other way… yet."

That night, Celes couldn't sleep at all. Locke, of course, was snoring. She got out of her bed and went downstairs to see if Strago was still awake. Sure enough, he was busy writing something at his large mahogany desk. He looked up and saw her coming down the stairs.

"Can't sleep, Celes?"

"I'm a bit concerned about Relm." She said.

"Why?"

"Well, back a year ago, she was always so brave and courageous, ready to literally rip up anything that came after her, but when Locke pulled that prank on you two she got so scared she jumped behind the sofa. What happened to her?"

Strago sighed. "Relm was born a descendent of the Magi. Since her early years she was always naturally able to use magic. But since we defeated Kefka last year and all the magic was taken from the world, she's been like that. She simply can no longer defend herself with her magic and has lost all confidence in herself."

"Oh." said Celes.

"She's so sad all the time, too. She used to be able to literally make her art come to life, but now it just stays flat on the canvas. I hear her crying at night all the time over that."

"That's too bad."

Strago nodded. "If I could have just one wish granted, it would be for the magic to come back to us, just to have the old Relm back."

***

That night, in a cave to the south of Thamasa, the same cave that Locke and Celes intended to explore the next day, three green robed figures made their way through the winding tunnels. They entered a large chamber. One motioned to the walls and the other two began to light over thirty torches circling the outside of the room. Illuminated by the torches they could see that the room was filled with mountains of gold and treasure. Not saying a word the whole time, two of the men made their way to a large stalagmite in the middle of the room, while the other walked over to a large, gold statue of a winged man with an emerald in his chest. The man put his palm on the surface of the emerald and a stone shifted in the floor by the stalagmite, opening a hole in the ground. Silently, the men entered the newfound cavern, making their way deeper into the earth.

The Cult of Kefka had returned…

The three robed men strode through the pitch black tunnel, not saying a word. They came to a large chamber lit by a torch with a green flame. On the walls there were pictures of humans and espers. On the ceiling there was a picture of the warring triad. In the center of the room, there was a pedestal with a blue crystal at its center.

One member of the cult turned to the other two and spoke. "My brothers," he said, "today is a glorious day for our people, for though our god was lost, we can now return him to us, so that his glorious light can shine once again upon the world. We now will make the ultimate sacrifice for the ultimate cause!" He turned to the crystal "Today we revive our god of magic! The people of this world will witness his dawn of power!" He put his hands upon the crystal. Yellow light transferred from the man into the crystal. The other two cult members put their hands upon the crystal as well and yellow light was sent into the crystal from them too. As their life was siphoned away from them, the crystal began to glow yellow.

And just like that, the men vanished, leaving nothing but their robes. The glowing crystal then turned blood red and began to levitate. A ball of rainbow colored energy began started to swirl around it.

"Uwee hee hee!"

TO BE CONTINUED…


	2. Chapter 2: Foreboding

Final Fantasy VI – Dawn of Power

Chapter 2: Foreboding

That morning, Locke and Celes were busy exploring the South Cave, searching for a great lost treasure.

"I'm just saying" said Celes "that I've watched you go up to people and take things right out of their pockets. I don't know what else to call that but thievery!"

That stuff wasn't stolen!" countered Locke "It was all um… borrowed!"

Celes raised an eyebrow. "Borrowed, huh?"

"Yeah! All of it was borrowed with full intent of being returned!"

"So all of that Gil that I've witnessed you taking from people and not twelve seconds later have seen you spending on jerky and pistachios was borrowed?"

"…Yes…"

Celes chuckled. "I can't imagine how much debt you're in!"

Locke changed the subject. "Celes, why aren't we married yet?"

Celes sighed. "I don't know, love. I suppose I just didn't want to get married when I was only 19 years old."

"But you're 20 now." He insisted.

"I know." She looked up and smiled. "I'll tell you what. When this adventure's over, we'll make the preparations for our wedding, alright?"

Locke grinned. "Alright."

They turned a corner and entered a large chamber illuminated by torches and filled to bursting with gold and other treasures. Locke's jaw fell open while Celes looked around greatly puzzled. Locke ran to a mountain of treasure faster than a chocobo. "Holy Cow, Celes! Look at this!" he started shifting through the treasure. "We're set for life!"

Celes inspected the torches. "Locke, something's not right. This treasure has to have been here for at least a thousand years. No normal torch could last that long."

"Look! This jade statue is bigger than I am!"

Celes looked down at the ground. "There're more than two sets of footprints on the ground, Locke. We're not the only ones who've been here recently." She began to follow the footprints.

"This ruby has got to be as big as a chocobo egg!"

"The prints end at this big stalagmite." She started to inspect it.

"Look at this gold statue of a winged guy with a big emerald in him. It's got to be worth at least 500 thousand Gil!" He put his hand on the emerald.

"Nyah!"

Locke turned. Where Celes was standing just a second ago there was now a big hole in the floor. "Celes!" He said somewhat panicked "Celes, where'd you go?!"

"I'm down here!"

Locke looked down into the hole to see Celes about 15 feet under the ground. "Are you all right?"

"I'm fine." She changed the subject "This is where the footprints led to, but I'm not sure you were listening to me, so you might not know what I'm talking about."

"I was too listening!" He said indignantly. "Where do the footprints go?"

"Down this tunnel! Get down here and come on!"

Locke and Celes made their way down the winding tunnel. After a while they noticed a strange light. Celes drew her sword.

"Celes, what are you doing?" Asked Locke.

"Get your knife out! There's something weird going on here!"

They turned the corner to se a ball of rainbow light floating above an altar.

"What the heck?" said Locke.

"This is impossible!" said Celes. "That's got to be magical, but… magic has left the world!"

"Is magic returning?" Said Locke excitedly.

"Maybe… but I don't think it can be that simple."

A high pitched laugh rang out through the cave. "Uwee hee hee!"

Celes and Locke watched in shock as the ball of energy flew past them and down the winding cave halls.

"What the hell was that?" said Locke.

"I don't like this at all!" said Celes. She suddenly gasped.

"What?"

"I know that laugh!" she turned around. "Look, Locke! On the ground!"

Locke turned to see green robes on the ground. "What are those? They look familiar."

"These are the robes of the Cult of Kefka!" she said turning to Locke. "That was his laugh! His voice!"

"What are you saying, Celes?"

"Kefka is back! Kefka has returned!"

Locke looked at the altar where the glowing ball of energy once was and sighed. "This adventure may last longer than I thought…"

TO BE CONTINUED…

**Okay, so in my last update I was really dumb, and didn't remember to leave any comments. So I shall do so now.**

**This is my first Fanfic, and actually my first written story ever, so please, be as critical as you want, just so long as you aren't insulting.**

**The first few chapters are pretty short. But they eventually get longer and more interesting.**

**Updates should happen frequently at first, as I actually have the first 8 chapters already completely written out. But I'm simply giving you fair warning, eventually I will start to slow.**

**Finally, I do not own any of these characters. They all belong to Square-Enix.**


	3. Chapter 3: Reanimation

Final Fantasy VI – Dawn of Power

Chapter 3: Reanimation

It was evening in the town of Mobliz, and it was about dinnertime at the Mobliz Orphanage. Terra Branford, founder and caregiver of said establishment, was cooking, with some help from Katarin and her husband, Duane. A cry was heard from somewhere else in the building. Katarin looked at Duane. "Honey, can you take care of the baby for me?"

"Sure, Dear." He walked out of the kitchen towards the nursery.

Katarin looked at Terra and smiled. "He's the best man any girl could ask for!"

Terra smiled back. "I'm really happy for you, Kat."

Katarin looked around then spoke to Terra in a whisper. "Come on! Tell me who it is!"

Terra looked around before whispering back, "Well, okay. I kinda have a thing for-"

"No! No! Bugs do not go in your mouth! Ugh! Honey, I could really use some help!"

Katarin sighed. "I'd better go help him." She dried her hands and ran out of the kitchen.

Terra laughed and shook her head. She started trying to light the stove. "Dumb stove never wants to light!" she continued to struggle with it for a few moments before it finally lit. "About time! Sheesh!" She put her hand on the counter… and it started on fire.

"What the hell?!" She brought her hand up to her face. Her hand was flaming… but it didn't hurt at all. "Impossible! The only thing that does this is-" she was cut off then, because she felt something building up inside of her, which, all at once, let loose.

The explosion was heard throughout the building. Katarin, Duane, and all of the orphans ran to the source. The kitchen was completely destroyed. The only thing they saw that wasn't in shambles was a glowing, pink esper-woman, unconscious on the ground.

Most of the kids backed away, but Katarin and Duane ran to her. Katarin turned her over. "Terra? That's Terra, right, Duane?"

"That's Terra! I remember when she did that before!"

Katarin started to softly pat her face. "Terra, wake up!"

Duane ran to the still intact kitchen sink and got a cup of water. He promptly threw the water on her face. Terra's eyes opened and she started coughing. She looked up into the faces of Katarin and Duane. "-magic." She finished. Terra looked around and saw the children trying to stay as far from her as possible. "What?" she asked. She held a hand to her mouth. Her voice had a mystic echo to it. She looked at her hands. They were covered in soft, pink fur. "This can't be real!" she exclaimed. She got up and looked herself over "This can't be real!"

She repeated this phrase multiple times as she ran to the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. She stared at her reflection in disbelief.

Katarin came into the bathroom carrying her crying baby. "Terra?" she asked. Terra turned around. "I think it's real, Terra."

Terra nodded slowly and sat down in the corner, bringing her furred, pink legs up to her chest. She sat there for a few seconds before looking at Katarin and saying "Bring me a phone." Katarin ran out and returned with a cell phone.

"Who are you calling?" asked Katarin.

"Some friends…"

* * *

The sun was high in Kohlingen. The light was reflecting beautifully off the hull of the Falcon, the late Darill's airship, newly declared to be Setzer Gabianni's airship casino, inside which, trouble was brewing.

"Hey! You're messin' with that roulette!"

"I am not!" said Setzer indignantly.

"Well how else does that marble keep ending up on Zero every time?!"

"Hey, you!" said a husky man. Setzer looked at him. "You had cards up your sleeve back there at the poker table, didn't you?!"

"I don't know what you're talking about!"  
"Oh yeah?!" He pulled out a knife. "You sure about that?"

Setzer started getting angry. He grabbed a microphone and spoke over the PA. "Attention! The casino is closing early today! Please cash in your chips at the front and have a nice day!" Everybody gathered up what little they had left and started to leave and cash what they still had in to Gogo, who was working at the front desk. All save for the two men who had spoken out before.

"I'm not leaving until I get back everything I lost in this craphole of a casino!"

"Yeah! Me neither!"

"And I'm willing to slice up your bleachy white corpse until I get it back!"

Setzer pulled two special darts from his sleeve and made sure everybody else had left. "There's no need to get violent about it!" He threw the darts at them hitting them both in the neck. They collapsed in a heap. "So why don't you calm down?"

Gogo walked out from behind the counter. Setzer looked at Gogo and said "Their memories should be wiped for the past 24 hours." He moved the husky one. "Gogo, can you help me get these two bums out of my airship?" Gogo looked a bit reproachful at his words, but nodded.

---

The sun was beginning to set by the time Setzer and Gogo had cleaned up the airship for that day. "Well that takes care of that! What are the profits for the day, Gogo?" Gogo went to the counter and got some papers and gave them to Setzer. Setzer took one look at them and suddenly got a huge grin on his face. "Twenty Thousand Gil! Ha!"

The phone started to ring. Setzer looked up, still grinning. "Gogo, could you get that?" Gogo went over to a sidetable and picked up the phone.

"Hello?" Gogo paused for a minute before holding the phone out to Setzer. "Terra."

Setzer grabbed the phone. "Hey, Terra, what's up?"

"Hello, Setzer?"

"You bet! How are things going with you?"

"Well, not too good."

Setzer turned serious. "Terra, what's wrong? Your voice sounds kind of odd."

"It probably does. This is going to shock you a bit, but I think the magic has returned to our world."

"Terra, the magic was banished with Kefka. What makes you think it's come back?"

"Well, first of all, I set the kitchen on fire and blew it up."

Setzer laughed. "Terra, you've set the kitchen on fire before."

"And then I changed into an esper."

Setzer smiled. "You're kidding! Terra, I don't know what the problem is. I think this is great! If the magic really has returned you should be happy."

"I don't think it's that simple. See, I tried to call Celes, because I figured she'd understand this better, but she and Locke weren't there. See, if the magic is back, maybe Kefka is too."

Setzer stopped smiling, shocked. He hadn't fathomed that possibility. "Why did you call me?" He asked.

"I can't seem to change back to my human form, and I don't want people to see me as an esper. I was hoping you could fly down to Mobliz and pick me up."

"Sure! I'll be there as fast as I can!"

TO BE CONTINUED…

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**My my. Has your world been turned upside down? Mine sure has!**

**For those of you thinking "What the hell just happened," it'll be explained in the story around chapter five. So do be patient and hold questions about what on God's green earth is going on until then if you're still confused after that. Next chapter we meet back up with Locke and Celes… and Strago… sorta…**

**Also, I deeply apologize for doing the "giggly girl"/"who do you like?" thing with Terra and Katarin. I just wanted to make clear that Terra has a 'thing' for someone on the team.**


	4. Chapter 4: Peril

_**NOTE: Throughout the course of this story you will see several magic spells that you wouldn't see in the game. I have invented these spells so the story will go smoother.**_

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Final Fantasy VI – Dawn of Power

Chapter 4: Peril

Locke and Celes were busy trying to find their way out of the Southern Cave. Celes was using a fire spell as a torch. "There's no way out of this maze!" said Celes.

"Hold on! I see light!"

Locke spoke true. As they turned the corner and looked above them there was a wide hole in the ceiling that opened up to the outside.

Celes smirked. "Our ticket out of here!"

Locke looked at her. "It's fifty feet up in the air! How are we supposed to get up that high?" Celes' hand started to glow a bright yellow. Locke shook his head. "Lord, that was a really stupid question…"

Celes put her hand to the ground. "EARTHEN PILLAR!"

A ring of light formed around the pair. Locke braced himself. Celes focused on the magic coursing through her body. The ground started to shake and all at once a huge column of rock came out from under them, launching them through the hole in the ceiling.

Locke landed on the ground about ten feet from the hole. Flat on his back. "Owww… Good grief that hurt!" he got up and watched Celes float delicately to the ground, landing on her toes. She looked at her fiancé.

"Are you alright, dear?" she said with a look of concern.

Locke smiled. "Nothing a little kiss can't cure!"

Celes laughed and bent down to kiss him, but she stopped about a half inch away from his lips with a look of horror on her face.

Locke looked at her, puzzled. "What is it?"

Celes said nothing, but pointed past Locke towards town. Locke turned and saw a huge pillar of smoke rising from Thamasa.

"Oh, God!" he exclaimed.

"We've got to go help!" she said. "Relm and Strago could be hurt!"

Locke got up and started to run towards the burning city.

"Hold on, Locke! We need to get there faster than that!"

Locke turned. He didn't ask how this time. He knew. He ran back to her side and held her hand.

Celes raised her other hand, which started to glow a deep violet. "TELEPORT!"

And they vanished.

***

Less than a second later, they reappeared in Thamasa's town square. Nearly every building was on fire, as well as most of the plants. They could barely see through the smoke ash. Locke held a handkerchief up to his nose and mouth to filter the air from the smoke as he breathed. Celes just made a magic air bubble around her face.

Celes turned to Locke. "You go see if you can find Strago and Relm! I'll try to save the rest of the town!"

Locke nodded in agreement. He watched Celes cast "life saver," and ran off to find his friends.

Locke dashed through the burning city towards Strago's house, calling their names. When he finally reached the house he saw that the entire front of the building had caved in. He quickly ran around back and got in through a broken window.

"Relm! Strago! Where the hell are you guys!?" He reached the kitchen and found Strago lying on the ground, passed out from the smoke.

"Strago!" He ran to him and picked him up on his back. "Now where's Relm?"

He searched frantically for the girl, but soon found himself completely surrounded by flame.

"Dammit! Lord, I hope she's alright!" He focused himself. "TELEPORT!"

Nothing happened. He tried again. "TELEPORT!"

Still nothing. "Goddammit! Get me the hell out of here!" He screamed. He noticed the roof starting to cave in. "Dear God!"

The roof fell.

***

The Falcon shot through the sky like a missile. Aboard it, two humans and an esper. All quiet.

Setzer finally broke the awkward silence. "Well, Terra, it's great to see you again in all your furry glory."

"And it's good to see you too, Setzer, in all your bleached grandeur."

The albino laughed. "Touché." They both put on awkward smiles. "How about you tell us what happened?"

Terra took a deep breath. "It was just weird. There I am getting ready to burn the steaks again, when my hands just plain light on fire. I didn't have even a second to react before I feel like I'm being blown to pieces by nothing. I pass out, waking up to find I'm an esper again!"

Setzer and Gogo just stood there. It was Gogo that finally spoke.

"There's no magic left."

Terra sat down in an overstuffed chair. "I know. That's the strange thing about it. I can only assume the magic has returned to our world, and its sudden reappearance just forced me into this form, but that's impossible!"

"Well it obviously isn't." said Setzer. "What did you say about Kefka?"

Terra looked at him. "Well, it's only a hunch, but when Kefka drained the warring triad of their power, he became the source of all magic. My guess, unfortunately, is that when the magic came back, Kefka came back fused to it."

Setzer sighed. Not even he could make a joke at this point. He went over to his roulette and started spinning it with his fingers. "So what do we do?"

"I don't know…" Said Terra.

Gogo looked stunned. "What do we do? WHAT DO WE DO?! Idiots! We do what we did the last time! We fight this joker and destroy him, once and for all!"

Both Terra and Setzer were shocked. They had never heard Gogo say so much at once. Terra shook it off.

"It's not that simple, Gogo."

"That's bullshit and you know it, Terra! We did it before and we can do it again. When we stand together as a team we can overcome anything, no matter how impossible it may seem to be. Now are you with me, or do I have to get killed trying to destroy Kefka by myself?!"

Terra and Setzer looked at each other, ashamed. Gogo was right. They could do it, so why were they so scared to try? Terra stood up and nodded. "I'm in!"

Setzer followed, throwing his fist in the air. "Let's do this!"

Gogo looked at them with approval. "Good."

The three looked out the window and saw they were flying over Nikeah. They noticed a building in the middle of town with a sign that read "Dojang Figaro."

Terra looked at the others. "Let's reunite the team!"

TO BE CONTINUED…

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**Awrighty. I got the fourth chapter up.**

**If you can guess who set Thamasa on fire, you get a cookie.**

**Also, most of the spells you're going to see are actually made up. I figured magic should be used for stuff other than fighting.**

**Finally, Dojang isn't a typo. It's the Korean word for school of martial arts. Seeing as I am a student of the Korean style of martial art: Tae Kwon Do, I felt compelled to use a word from my school. Also, "dojo" is too darn overused.**

**Note: Life Saver – a spell that seeks out all lives that are in mortal peril within a three mile radius. When it finds an imperiled being, it teleports them to a secure place.**


	5. Chapter 5: Reunion

_**NOTE: In this story, LIFE spells are a misnomer. They cure unconsciousness, not death.**_

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Final Fantasy VI – Dawn of Power

Chapter 5: Reunion

Thamasa was now nothing but ash. Celes was at the city limits tending to the people her Life Saver spell had rescued.

Celes was very worried. She hadn't seen Locke, Strago or Relm at all and she was afraid that they might not have made it out alive.

It took several hours to tend to everybody she had saved, and still there was no sign of them anywhere. The residents of Thamasa all were grateful to her, asking her if she wanted them to do anything for her as thanks. She declined to all of them.

She only wanted to be sure her friends were alright.

Hours passed. Night turned into morning. Morning turned into afternoon. Afternoon turned into Evening. And Evening turned back into Night. Still she waited, growing ever more desperate with every passing moment.

When night turned again to morning she finally fell to her knees. The ex-general put her face in her hands and began to cry. She cried for hours on end, convinced she had just lost two friends and the person she loved more than anything in the universe.

And after another four hours of crying, she stopped. She was no happier, but she had simply run out of tears. She had lost all reason to live now. There was nothing left for her in this world.

She was now ready to do what she felt she must.

She pulled her sword from her sheath and put its point to her heart. She took a deep breath and…

"You know, perfect breasts are a rarity in this world. It would be a shame if you should damage yours, my sweet."

She turned around, stunned. It was him! Locke was standing right behind her with Strago on his back, looking her in the face with a smile.

In one motion, Celes dropped her sword and fell into Locke's arms, crying tears of joy. Locke put Strago down gently and began to stroke Celes' head when she suddenly stopped. She got up… and punched him square in the face.

Locke fell to the ground, stunned. "I did not see that coming!"

Celes was steamed. "You jerk! I was worried sick! I almost killed myself I was so scared! Where the hell have you been?!"

Locke got up, rubbing his face. "Celes, I'm really sorry. I didn't mean to take so long, honestly. I was trapped in Strago's house when the roof started to come down on top of me and Strago. I couldn't teleport out so I used "Blizzara" to make a dome of ice to shield us with. But then I started to feel really dizzy and when I went to use a fire spell to get us out when the wildfire was over I fainted. And every time I came to, I tried again, but every time I ended up passing out again. Finally I decided to chip away at the ice, which wouldn't seem to melt at all, with my knife, but that took forever. By the time I got out it had been over a day since the fire had stopped. Oh, Celes. I'm really sorry. I wish I could've gotten to you sooner but there was nothing I could do! Honestly!"

Celes still looked angry for a few moments, but she saw in his eyes he was telling the truth. In total forgiveness, she kissed Locke on the mouth, embracing him.

They looked at each other, overjoyed that they were together again when, at once, it hit them.

"Strago!"

They both ran to the still unconscious, old mage.

Celes felt for his pulse and Locke checked to see if he was still breathing. Both were relieved.

"Jeez," said Locke, "This guy's a real fighter for such an old bag of bones!"

Celes pointed a finger at the old man's face. "RIVER!" a small stream of water came from Celes' finger, hitting Strago in the forehead. Strago still didn't wake up.

Celes looked at Locke. "How long has he been out?"

Locke thought for a second. "I'm pretty sure he's been zonked since I found him. At least I haven't seen him awake since then."

Celes looked back to Strago. "So it's a coma or something, then. Alright."

She put both hands to the top of his graying head. She took a deep breath. "RAISE!"

Celes and Strago began to glow for a second. When the glowing stopped, Strago awoke.

"RELM!"

Strago leaped up and ran into the destroyed remains of Thamasa, crying out his granddaughter's name. "Relm! Where are you!? Can you hear me?!"

Locke and Celes had almost forgotten about the young girl.

Celes looked at Locke and said. "What happened to Relm anyways? Did you find her?"

Locke shook his head. "I didn't. Strago was alone in the house."

Celes put a hand to her chest. "Dear Lord, I hope she's alright."

They watched as Strago fell to his knees crying, just as Celes did earlier.

"My my. It did get warm around here, didn't it?'"

All three turned to see a smug looking Relm leaning against a tree trunk and twirling a paintbrush.

"Relm!" All three rushed over to her side. "How did you get out?" asked Locke.

Relm laughed. "You really didn't think that a little heat could hold me back, did you? Please! I've been in bigger danger from a runny nose."

Strago immediately switched to scold mode. "Dammit, Relm! You had me worried sick!"

Relm looked at him with an irritated expression. "Hey! YOU were the one who tossed me out of a window to keep me from burning up! Your worry – your fault!"

"I- You- But-" Strago had no retort. He just grunted in anger, knowing she was right.

Celes spoke up. "How'd you get out of the city, though? There was smoke everywhere!"

Relm chuckled. "You think that **I **needed help to get out? It was a cinch!"

Locke looked at the others. "So I guess everybody's alright then?"

Relm nodded. "Homeless, but alright."

Celes turned to Strago. "What happened? How did Thamasa end up on fire?"

Locke interrupted. "It was Kefka! It had to be!"

Strago shook his head. "No, Locke. It was the fault of the townsfolk."

Celes and Locke were both stunned. "You did this?" Celes finally asked.

Strago turned his back to them. "We were simply minding our own business when, all at once, fire blasted out of everybody's arms! It was insane I tell you!"

Locke started stuttering. "But- That- That makes no sense whatsoever!"

"It makes perfect sense, Locke." Said Celes. "When I was a general in the Gestahlian Army, something was made very clear to all of the Magitek soldiers: Beware of magical eruption."

"Celes, please be more clear. My head hurts enough as it is."

She shot him an irritated glance. "Magical eruption occurred when a soldier hadn't used any magic for over a week. What would end up happening would be fire or electricity would start literally blasting from their hands. If they weren't careful they could set the entire city on fire. Now imagine someone who was born with magic not using any at all for over a year."

Locke nodded. "Alright!"

"All of the townsfolk here would have had the magic in their bodies plugged up so long that when it was finally ABLE to be released, it would all come out at once. That's what happened to Thamasa."

Locke thought this over for a minute before saying, "I think I get it, but why hasn't anything like that happened to me?"

"It's probably because you weren't born with it, and were only using it for a relatively short time before you lost it. The magic hadn't actually fused with you enough for that to happen. That's also probably why you weren't able to do a complex spell like Teleport, and fainted after using a low level one like Blizzara."

Locke sighed. "So I have to learn the spells all over again?"

Strago spoke up. "There's no time for that. Kefka is gaining power as we speak. We need to find where he is and destroy him once again."

"Yeah!" said Relm. "Let's go kick that clown's ass!"

"Watch your tongue, Relm!"

Relm glared at him.

"We still have a problem, though." Said Celes. "We have no clue where Kefka is!"

"I have an idea!" Said Locke. "How fast can we get to Mobliz?"

Celes looked at Strago and Relm. "I guess if Strago, Relm, and I work together we could try to Teleport there."

"Do it. We need to see Terra."

"What for?" Asked Relm.

"I just have this feeling she can help us."

Celes shrugged. "Well, let's give this a shot"

Locke grabbed onto Celes, who held hands with Relm and Strago. Their hands started to glow. And they vanished.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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**Been a bit longer than I anticipated since I last updated. Oh well.**

**I can't get no satisfaction, can I? You know in the last chapter I was hoping people would stop and say "What the Hell?! Is Locke dead?!" in their reviews, but nobody stopped and did that. Oh well, I guess that just proves that everybody who reads this fanfic is intelligent enough to realize that I wouldn't kill anybody off so early in the story.**

**So, anyway, I have now explained what the heck is going on, what with the fire blasting from peoples' hands and Terra being forced into her esper form. Magic remains dormant for too long, it starts to leak out. If you still have questions about it, go ahead and ask.**

**Basically, this chapter was meant to explain exactly what was going on. I hope the fact that it's mostly talky-talking doesn't make it too boring.**

**Also, there have been several complaints as to how short the story has been. While it is true that I have only been submitting 3 page chapters so far, let me assure you that the next few chapters span 5 to 6 pages on Microsoft Word. So they will get longer in the next few updates.**


	6. Chapter 6: Uncovering

Final Fantasy VI: Dawn of Power

Chapter 6: Uncovering

Locke and the others appeared in the town square of Mobliz. Locke got up and brushed off his shirt. "Well, now, this place looks better since I last visited it."

Relm pointed to the east. "Well that sure as hell doesn't."

Everyone looked where she was pointing and saw the Mobliz orphanage with half of a wall blown off of it.

"Oh no." Said Celes.

Relm looked at her. "Three guesses what caused that."

They started running towards the building. "God, I hope Terra's okay!"

Strago looked at him. "What did you expect to find? She's an esper! Her magic is far greater than any of ours."

They reached the orphanage to find that the entire kitchen had blown up.

"Holy crap!"

"Relm! Stop swearing!"

"I didn't you old fart-knocker!"

Celes glared at them. "Stop arguing you two! Terra might be hurt!"

"Oh, Terra's fine."

Everyone turned to see Katarin with her child.

"Katarin!" said Locke.

"Terra's fine. She's pink and she's furry, but she's fine."

"Oh that's a relief." Said Strago.

"What happened?" asked Celes.

"Terra was in the kitchen cooking when she literally blew it up. Everyone rushed to help and found her transformed into an esper again."

"Can we see her?" asked Relm.

Katarin shook her head. "Sorry, she's not here. She left with that albino guy with the airship yesterday."

"Dammit!" cursed Locke. "We need to talk to her. She could be anywhere if she's with Setzer, though."

Celes looked at him. "Hang on. I think I may know a way." She entered the orphanage through the hole in the wall. Katarin followed her in.

Locke looked at Strago. "She always knows a way."

"Does Terra have a phone?" Celes asked Katarin.

"No, she left it with me."

Celes sighed. "Alright then…" Celes looked at Katarin. "You wouldn't happen to have a picture of Terra, would you?"

"Of course!" she said. "Wait a minute, I'll get one."

Locke came up behind her. What are you going to do?"

"If I can get a picture of Terra, I can use it mixed with a Seeker spell to track Terra down. Then I can use a Telepathy spell to talk to her long distance."

Katarin returned with a photograph of the green-haired Terra and the children of the orphanage. She handed it to Celes. "This is our best photo of her." She said.

"Alright, this should work." Replied Celes.

Celes sat down at a table and placed the picture in front of her. She put her right index finger on the photo, right where Terra's heart was and closed her eyes. "SEEK!"

Her finger and the photo began to glow a pale green, and after a few seconds, the glow stopped.

"Did it work? Asked Locke.

Celes opened her eyes. "No it didn't. I still have no idea where she is."

"But that doesn't make sense!" Cried Strago. "A seeker spell will always flawlessly find the person portrayed in the image! You must not be doing it right!"

"I know how to do a Seeker spell, Strago!" She retorted. "I used them all the time when I was in the army!"

A heated argument quickly broke out between them.

Locke bent over to Relm. "And I thought the arguments YOU have with him couldn't be topped! This is insane!"

Relm shook her head. She walked between Celes and Strago and pushed them apart. "Quit fighting or I'll paint pictures of both of you! Jeez!"

Celes and Strago became silent, but it was obvious they hadn't forgiven each other.

"Now look," Said Relm, "The problem is pretty obvious. Terra's still in Esper form, and you need a picture of Esper Terra for the Seeker to work."

Strago slapped his forehead. Celes sighed and looked at Katarin.

"I don't suppose you have a picture of Esper Terra, do you?"

Katarin frowned. "I really doubt it. This is the first time she's changed since the Kefka War… I might be able to find something in an old newspaper or something."

"Don't bother." Said Relm. "Give me some canvas and I'll have an image for you in about half an hour."

After around half an hour, just as Relm said, the team had a perfect painting of Terra in her esper form. Celes put her finger on Esper Terra's heart.

"Let's hope this works." Said Celes. "SEEK!"

Again her finger glowed green, but this time it was a vibrant lime. A white light shot out of the eyes of Terra's image and flew out the window.

* * *

Setzer and Gogo walked into Dojang Figaro with Terra, concealed by a brown cloak, close behind. As they entered the building, they were able to catch a glimpse of the end of a Martial Arts class being taught by none other than Sabin Figaro. Sabin was perfectly demonstrating to the children in the class the Rising Phoenix Blitz technique. The three waited for him to notice them when they were startled from behind.

"Setzer! Gogo! How nice to see you again!"

They turned to see Gau standing fully upright in front of them.

"Gau! How have you been?" said Setzer as he gave him a quick man-hug.

"Quite well, thank you! Master Sabin has made me lead instructor in his Dojang! I've even learned most of his techniques by now."

Gogo looked at him inquisitively. "You spoke."

Gau laughed. "Yes, Gogo. Sabin has also been teaching me how to speak properly and walk properly. You could say I'm 'Civilized' now."

Setzer patted him on the back. "That's great, man!"

Gau looked at Terra, not recognizing her in the cloak. "Who's this you have with you?"

Everyone's mood suddenly turned solemn. Terra reached up and lowered her hood a bit, revealing her face.

"Holy- Mmmph!" Gau was cut off when Setzer put his hand over his mouth.

"Yes that's Terra!" Said Setzer. "We're afraid her whole er… Espery-ness may be a part of something big, so we're trying to reunite the team."

Gau nodded. "I see. Well you can talk with Master Sabin after this class is over, but you might want to wait in his office. You don't want to chance having someone see you as an esper, Terra."

Terra nodded. "Thank you, Gau."

Gau pointed to his left. "The office is over there. The class should be over in about ten minutes."

The three of them waited in the office for the next few minutes when the door suddenly flew open. Sabin was in the door and had a huge grin on his face. "Well if it isn't Bleachy and the Mimic!" He yelled happily. He grabbed Setzer in a headlock and gave him a noogie. "How've ya been, buddy?"

"Fine…" he gasped, "but I'm gonna choke if you don't let me go!"

Sabin released him. "Oops! Sorry!"

Terra waved and said timidly, "Hi, Sabin." Blushing under the cloak.

Sabin looked at her and started blushing himself. "Hey, Terra."

They stood in silence just looking at each other for a few seconds before Gau came in and said, "I told him you were worried something big was happening."

Sabin snapped back to reality. "Right! So what's up?"

At that, Terra removed her hood. Sabin looked at her, startled. "Holy Crap!" He exclaimed.

Gau looked at him. "That's exactly what I said."

Terra explained the situation. "As you can see, I'm an esper again. If this has happened, then that only means one thing."

Gogo looked at Sabin. "Magic."

Terra nodded. "Right. Sabin the magic has returned."

Sabin laughed happily. "Terra, that's great!" He hugged her tightly. "Why are you guys so worried about that?"

Setzer looked at him and said one word. "Kefka."

Sabin stopped and let go of Terra. He looked at her somewhat shocked.

Terra sighed. "If the magic has returned to this world then it's quite possible that Kefka has returned with- GAH!" A sudden surge of pain went through her body.

Sabin ran to her and caught her as she fell. Setzer looked at Gau. "That can't be good!"

Everything went black for Terra. She was sure that Kefka was behind whatever was causing her sudden situation when she heard a voice.

"Terra? Terra are you there?"

Terra was startled. "Celes? Is that you?"

"Oh good! I was worried I wouldn't be able to reach you again!"

"Celes, what's going on?"

"I'm communicating with you telepathically from the Mobliz orphanage."

"Why are you at the orphanage?"

"We were looking for you. Listen. Something terrible is happening. As you know, the magic has returned. But Kefka has returned with it!"

"I knew it!"

"We really need your help, Terra. Espers are attracted to magic like moths to a lamp. Since Kefka is the source of Magic in this world, you should be able to sense where he is."

"How am I supposed to do that? I still don't know much about being an Esper!"

"Just calm down, Terra, and let your Esper half take over for a second and you should sense his presence somewhere in the world."

"Alright."

Terra took a deep breath and let the Esper in her take over for a minute and she knew.

Terra woke up in Sabin's arms.

"Jidoor." Said Terra.

"What?" said Gau.

"We need to get to Jidoor as fast as we can. Let's get to the Airship and I'll explain on the way!"

* * *

Celes looked at the others. "We need to get to Jidoor as fast as we can"

"Is that where Kefka is?" Asked Locke.

Celes nodded. "Yes. Let's get ready to teleport." They all held hands.

"Be careful!" said Katarin.

Celes focused. "TELEPORT!"

And again, they all vanished.

TO BE CONTINUED…

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Ahhh… Nothing like a nice trip out of the country. Yes, that's why it's been so long. Sorry I never let any of you know.

So this is chapter 6, eh? Yes I have revealed who Terra's in love with. I chose Sabin for actual reasons of psychology, really. I thought that after everything she had been through, what with her being controlled to do terrible things, she would become pretty much obsessed with innocence. Possibly a reason she became the caregiver of an orphanage. Anyway, what with his naivety and all, I always pictured Sabin as the most "innocent" of the Returners. Sorry Terra/Edgar fans. I just don't see Edgar as the type she'd fall for.

Anyways, enjoy everybody!


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